How to Nurture Your Emotional Health

What’s your biggest concern at this very moment? Now imagine your best friend in your shoes. What advice would you give them? Maybe you would tell them to take a deep breath and look at things from a different perspective. It’s in these moments that calm often takes over.

So why not show yourself the same compassion?

According to Mercedes Timko, MD, Penn Medicine’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Department, many people have trouble embracing self-compassion, even though it’s central to our emotional health.

“Without self-compassion, it’s difficult to foster any kind of mental-emotional wellness,” Dr Timko says.

While there are lots of interpretations of self-compassion, at its core it’s being kind and understanding toward yourself, especially in the wake of an experience you perceive as a failure or shortcoming. It’s also about learning to accept painful thoughts and emotions, rather than avoiding them or feeling sorry for yourself.

Dr Timko offers these tips for improving your self-compassion and enhancing your emotional health.